In the production of hollow plastic containers, it is common to injection mold a preform and then blow mold the preform to achieve the final shape of a container. The body portion of the container may be of monolayer construction, or may be of multilayer construction in which one or more intermediate layers form a barrier against gas transmission through the container. Such multilayer blow molded containers are often used for medical-type products such as pharmaceuticals. However, pharmaceuticals are sometimes counterfeited and packaged in counterfeit containers that look identical to genuine containers used to market genuine pharmaceuticals. Accordingly, such counterfeit containers are used to deceive pharmacists and consumers into buying counterfeit pharmaceuticals.
A method of making an identifiable container in accordance with one aspect of the present invention includes providing a molded plastic container having a wall that includes at least one layer of material blended with an additive, providing a mask having a radiation aperture in the form of identifiable indicia, and directing radiation through the radiation aperture of the mask and onto the container such that the radiation is absorbed by the additive, thereby causing the additive to visibly respond in the form of the identifiable indicia. The container wall can be of monolayer construction, or of multilayer construction in which the additive is provided in at least one of the layers, preferably a barrier layer.
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a container that includes a plastic wall having at least one layer of material blended with an additive. The layer of material has a portion that is made visible by absorption of radiation, and that is in the form of identifiable indicia.